As much as I enjoy new games that come out on a weekly basis, I still have a tender spot in my gamer heart for old school classics that get some new life as a revamped iPhone game. R-Type is definitely one of those classics. In case you couldn’t tell, I’ve been keeping a close eye on R-Type ever since I heard it was in the works. Thankfully, I did get to get some time with the game at EA’s press event last month and it looks like our wait is finally over as EA has finally made the arcade classic available on the iPhone AppStore.
R-Type for the iPhone recreates the original sci-fi scrolling arcade classic faithfully. If you need a refresher on its story (and let’s be honest, do any of us actually realize there was a story behind R-Type), you’re the pilot of a futuristic fighter called the “R-9a Arrowhead”. Your missions is to bring down the evil Bydo Empire by attacking wave after wave of enemies.
The sights and sounds from the original R-Type all stay true to the original source. Players even have the option of playing their own music while playing R-Type, but why would you want to listen to Katy Perry’s “California Girls” when you’re blasting away at swarms of enemies in a futuristic fighter?
The game offers 3 controls schemes:
- Tilt – Use the iPhone’s accelerometer to navigate your ship
- Touch – Drag your finger alone the screen to navigate your ship
- Virtual D-Pad – Navigating your ship is handled by touching a virtual directional pad
As with the original R-Type, your ship can receive a number of different power ups and ship upgrades that can be achieved through your mission. All eight unique levels and eight different bosses have made it as well. In other words, if you’ve ever played R-Type, you can rest easy knowing that EA has successfully brought the entire experience to your iPhone. So what are you waiting for, hit the download button!
R-Type ($1.99) – [iTunes Link]
